A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 155 The Hateful Court

When Li Yu was studying how to get in touch with the British Concession in Tianjin, Tang Shaoyi took the initiative to contact Li Yu.

In fact, Li Yu still has to give Guangxu a class now. Although restricted by Empress Dowager Cixi, the class hours are now a little less, but there are still two to three classes a week.

Li Yu therefore met Tang Shaoyi in Xiyuan.

Of course, Tang Shaoyi came to Beijing to report on his duties again. He saw Li Yu and Eunuch Cui coming out of Yingtai together, and he stepped forward to say hello, "Mr. Li, don't come here without any problems."

Li Yu shook hands with him and said, "Tang Daotai, we meet again."

"The trip in Japan went well? I didn't expect you to come back so soon." Tang Shaoyi said.

Li Yu knew that he was concerned about King Gong's affairs, so he said directly: "Now the Japanese side is likely to send a female spy to King Gong's mansion to help open a women's school, and by the way, use this as an opportunity to provide information to the Japanese side."

Tang Shaoyi frowned: "Female spy? Could it be a beauty trick?"

Li Yu said: "I don't know exactly how to operate it. It is not easy to monitor a woman in the palace."

Tang Shaoyi rubbed her chin: "I never thought that Japan would send a woman."

Li Yu said: "Daotai must not underestimate this Japanese woman. Her name is Kawara Caozi. She was born in a traditional Japanese vassal family, and she is full of loyalty to the emperor. Some people in Japan are willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause of the emperor. It's the same with women, and it's even harder to guard against."

"I understand," Tang Shaoyi took a deep breath, "I've been in North Korea for so long, and I still know the nature of the Japanese. So, how do we break the situation?"

Li Yu first asked: "Is there a channel through which Daotai can also enter Gonggong Palace?"

Tang Shaoyi shook her head: "It's hard to do, as you know, the imperial court will not easily allow us to get too close to the Mongolian prince."

"I guess so," Li Yu said, "Since that's the case, just sit back and wait."

Tang Shaoyi said in surprise: "Stay on the sidelines and wait for the rabbit? Isn't it too passive?"

Li Yu said: "We just need to get to the core of the problem. If Master Heyuan wants to pass on information, there must be a contact person. And if it is critical information, it must be very urgent. The palace will definitely not be able to set up a telegraph line. She will definitely Will use one of mine."

"Your stuff?" Tang Shaoyi wondered, "What is it?"

"Wireless telegraph!" Li Yu said, "At that time, I will give her a rigged wireless telegraph, so monitoring is as easy as pie."

"Wireless? Telegram?" Tang Shaoyi has never heard of radio, "What is this?"

Li Yu said: "It is a machine that can send telegrams anytime and anywhere without telegraph wires. It is the most advanced communication method."

"Is there such a thing? Do foreigners already have it?" Tang Shaoyi asked.

Li Yu nodded: "Not long ago."

Tang Shaoyi sighed: "Foreigners are really getting better and better in terms of technology. Now that this is mentioned, do you also understand radio?"

Li Yu said: "Of course, otherwise, how can we handle the small days... Japanese spies who are living a good life."

"It's great to have you!" Tang Shaoyi said, "I don't understand these things at all."

Li Yu added: "It's just that if I want to fully grasp it, I need to find an opportunity to go to the United States."

Tang Shaoyi said: "The United States? It's easy to say, anyway, no one else understands, so I can only rely on you. If Mr. Xiao needs to go to the United States, please feel free to contact me if you need help."

Li Yu clasped his fists and said, "Thank you Daotai."

Li Yu is also a man of science and engineering. In terms of engineering, it is more appropriate to start with communication first. This thing is high in technology and is not heavy industry. At present, it does not need too much capital investment, and it is cutting-edge technology. The future development is even more promising.

Anyway, the era Li Yu lived in was really fed up with being stuck in the neck.

And communication is the key link that gets stuck.

Of course, the difficulty of communication is actually very high, but it is only the initial stage of radio, and Li Yu can still handle it.

Tang Shaoyi added: "One more thing. The Minister of Railways Sheng Xuanhuai recently returned to Tianjin. I hope you can go to the Beiyang University Hall to attend the resumption ceremony of the University Hall. Educational celebrities from all walks of life in Tianjin will be present."

Li Yu said: "Being respectful is worse than obeying orders."

Looking at it this way, there is no need to contact the British Concession, and Li Yu himself has to go directly to Tianjin.

Tang Shaoyi said: "I will tell you the time when the time comes, Master Sheng has also admired you for a long time."

While the two were talking, a shrill voice came: "It's a good thing they didn't leave."

Tang Shaoyi heard the voice, turned her head and said respectfully, "Eunuch Li."

It was Li Lianying who came.

Li Lianying said, "I'm looking for him."

Li Yu saw his finger pointing at himself, and asked in surprise, "Me?"

Li Lianying nodded: "Lafayette's gramophone has been creaking for the past two days and it seems to be broken. I am worried about finding someone to fix it. I just remembered that you happen to be in Xiyuan, so I let you take a look."

"phonograph?"

"Yeah, I don't know why, but it suddenly stopped working. Our family doesn't understand, so I can't tell."

"Okay," Li Yu said, "let's go and have a look."

Li Yu didn't like to meet Cixi, but since she approached her, she couldn't refuse directly.

Cixi was playing cards with a few people at this time, it was still mahjong with cards, and the players playing cards were Empress Longyu, Princess Rongshou, the daughter of Prince Gong Yi, who was called the eldest princess in the palace, and a court lady whom Li Yu didn't know. .

Li Lianying was good at observing words and expressions, after entering the house, she was not in a hurry to disturb the queen mother, but walked over quietly to see how the queen mother was doing.

Cixi's money is really hot now, and the palace lady opposite has already listened to the cards.

Of course Princess Rongshou knew how to play cards with Cixi. She played a six of a kind. In fact, the maid was waiting for this card to draw, but seeing Li Lianying's wink, she did not dare to draw.

In the second round, Princess Rongshou played a piece of nine cakes, and Cixi said happily: "I knew you wanted to play this one, so I made it again!"

Li Lianying praised: "Lafayette's fortune is prosperous, and it is also accompanied by the prosperity of our Qing Dynasty."

Li Yu's teeth itch when he heard this, could they really not see the situation clearly?

——Maybe it’s just that I can’t see clearly.

Cixi happily accepted the money, and then saw Li Yu at the door: "You are here, Li Yu, right? Go and see Aijia's phonograph, this laoshiziyang thing suddenly doesn't work."

Li Yu walked to the phonograph, looked at it and found that the needle was broken, probably because the record fell into dust because it was not used during the Chinese New Year.Recently, I forcibly turned it on and damaged the stylus.

When Li Yu was about to tell Cixi about the situation, Concubine Jin came in.

The court lady hurriedly stood up from the poker table to salute, but was stopped by Cixi: "You don't need to get up, you don't have to salute when they come in the future."

Li Lianying on the side said, "Thank you, Lafayette."

The maid said quickly, "Thank you, Lafayette."

Li Lianying smiled: "My girl is very sensible."

It turned out to be Li Lianying's younger sister, and this woman's name was Li Lianwu.

Li Lianying had always boasted to the queen mother that her younger sister was beautiful and courteous, and Cixi really regarded Li Lianying as her own. She always liked to use her own people, so she recruited Li Lianwu into the palace.

Li Lianying had long passed on her skills of flattery to her younger sister, which made Cixi happy. Now her status is no ordinary court lady.

Concubine Jin has been in the court for so long, so she can see why, and said to Li Lianwu: "Miss, you don't need to see outsiders when I come here."

The title of "Big Girl" was naturally given to her by Cixi.

Cixi also said: "Exactly! You have small feet, how can you stand for a long time?"

Li Lianwu said respectfully: "Lafayette is kind-hearted and considerate of slaves."

Li Lianying is quite satisfied with Li Lianwu's performance.

After all, he has other small calculations in mind.

Seeing that they had said enough, Li Yu stepped forward and said, "Queen Mother, I have already checked the phonograph, but the record and needle are damaged. Just ask Victory Records to replace the cartridge with a new one. As for the record, you can also ask them to replace it Get a new one."

Cixi wondered: "How can it be broken if it is left idle?"

Li Yu explained: "The air in the capital is very dusty in winter, and it is easy to collect dust. Maybe the fine dust fell on the track of the record and broke the stylus."

Cixi frowned: "Who is in charge of cleaning the palace?"

Li Lianying quickly said, "It's the fifth son."

Cixi said displeased: "Even the sanitation in the hall is not good. If dust and debris are mixed in the meals, wouldn't Aijia also eat it in his mouth?"

Cixi's words were already very serious, Li Lianying immediately called out: "Little Wuzi, come here!"

The little eunuch was scared out of his wits: "Lafayette, I really don't dare to touch foreign things. I have been doing a good job of cleaning, at least three times a day."

There is no need for Cixi to speak to such a small character, Li Lianying said: "Bring it to the respect room, call first..."

He glanced at Cixi from the corner of his eye, and saw that she looked uneasy, so he said, "Hit 100 big boards, and hit them hard."

This is a dead end. If you hit the board in the palace, you may still be alive and kicking if you hit 100 boards, and you may not be able to get out of bed for half a year if you hit 10 boards.

It all depends on the executioner's method.

The executioners have practiced. It is said that tofu is usually used in practice. Take a piece of tofu and only make noises, and the tofu cannot be broken. After the beating, the surface of the tofu is intact, but the inside has been broken into slag.

Therefore, after some people were tortured, they looked bloody on the outside, but they didn't hurt their muscles and bones at all; some people's flesh and bones were actually injured even though they were only red and swollen on the outside.

It's really 360 lines, and the top picks come out of every line.

Flowers can be produced by playing with a board, and only in the palace.

Li Lianying's order just now didn't leave any room for it. If the 100 boards are solid, it is estimated that they will be able to go to Xitian.

The little eunuch begged desperately: "Grandpa Li, I know I was wrong!"

Li Lianying was unmoved, so the little eunuch begged Xiao Dezhang again: "Father Zhang, I was wrong, please save me, I was brought into the palace by you!"

Xiao De Zhang blushed with anger: "Stop talking nonsense, you can't do anything well, what's the use of keeping you?"

This little eunuch turned out to be the little eunuch that Xiao Dezhang brought to Xiaodao Liu to purify himself.

Hey, it's really not easy to mess around in the palace. If you already have a backer, you still can't escape bad luck after all.

(End of this chapter)